Royal London proposes radical solution to retirement income market failure

Royal London proposes radical solution to retirement income market failure

Press Release

26 March 2015

The FCA’s Final Report on the Retirement Income Market published today demonstrates how far the regulator’s thinking has progressed since the announcement of freedom and choice in pensions one year ago. However Royal London believes its thinking has not gone far enough and more radical market-based solutions are required, to ensure that customers get the deal best suited to their retirement income needs.

Royal London Group Chief Executive Phil Loney commented:

“The FCA’s first ‘Remedy’ requires providers to tell their customers how the annuity rate they offer compares with quotes in the open market rate. This is a step in the right direction but we suggest that the current market failure will only be addressed if providers are required to go further. Instead of an anonymous annuity quote, providers should be required by the regulator to identify the top three competitors’ quotes by name.

“The risk with the Remedy as currently proposed is that customers will still not shop around. The annuity quote comparison may simply convince already inert customers to do nothing. Low financial literacy amongst customers is compounded by a poor understanding of longevity, and many people do not yet understand that better annuity rates are available for those with poor health. Customers may fail to understand that apparently modest differences in annual income available from their current provider and that of the anonymous ‘highest quote’ could add up to substantial sums over their lifetime. It is also not obvious how this remedy will help customers to realise that enhanced annuities can offer superior value to the standard annuity products that are most likely to feature in the proposed comparison. We are concerned that this measure is too weak to improve upon the ABI's well intentioned but unsuccessful efforts.

"We propose a national comparison service for annuity products, with all quotations based on customer information including their state of health. Wherever feasible, customers should be encouraged to appoint an impartial Financial Advisor to assist with their retirement income planning. For non advised customers, providers should be mandated to provide the customer with direct access to the comparison web site, or to provide the top three quotations from the service regardless of whether their own products feature. We believe this approach should be equally applicable to non advised drawdown customers in due course. We need a truly competitive market which works in the best interests of consumers."

Phil Loney continued:

“We welcome FCA’s decision to progress the ‘Pensions Dashboard’ with the co-operation of Government. Royal London has long-advocated a mechanism that allows customers to view all their retirement provision, including State Pension, in a single place. This move would help customers and their advisers make better provision and - vitally - take the right decisions at retirement.”

Royal London is the largest mutual life, pensions and investment company in the UK, with Group funds under management of £82.3 billion. Group businesses serve around 5.3 million policy holders and employ 2,829 people. (Figures quoted are as at 31 December 2014).

The Group is currently moving all of its UK businesses under a new version of the Royal London brand. The Group's independent wrap platform will remain branded Ascentric.

The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. The firm is on the Financial Services Register, registration number 117672. Registered in England and Wales number 99064. Registered office: 55 Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 0RL.